The Goldfinch best book of the year? Really?

I finally got through the 784 page monster that won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize Winner for fiction, "The Goldfinch." Best book of the year? You've got to be kidding. At best, it's a so-so read that drags in lots of places. The author could have cut 400 pages and maybe ended up with a passable two-hour read.

And I found out the critics agree. Here is the headline at the Washington Post: